Social Schmetterling

Oops, yet another blog drought for me in September and October, I suppose we've been busy (who hasn't?) and I need to keep these entries staccato or else they become too daunting. A German work colleague of Steph's recently joked that their Germanic language isn't the most beautiful compared to Romance languages, or even to English (also Germanic but heavily influenced by Latin and French). His example was comparing vocabularies for the beautiful, poetical insect Papilionoidea, better known in English as the butterfly; in French as le papillon; in Spanish as la mariposa; and in German...der Schmetterling. Yes, perhaps not so lyrical. But I'll quickly summarize our fall activities, as we've been fluttering around like busy social Schmetterlinge.

Regarding our all-time favorite topic, i.e., dinner, we hosted an informal Mexican food fiesta--featuring tacos al pastor--for about a dozen attendees and more recently last weekend a smaller gathering for tortas ahogadas. Our several Mexican friends and acquaintances here appreciate authentic Mexican food in Europe almost as much as Steph and me. We also hosted a French/English couple for a French dinner, complete with champagne, poached salmon and a homemade fig tart (pictured here) which, if I may say with all modesty, may have incited duels between my old coworkers/ pastry admirers in Chicago. We've also attended several small dinner parties, including one sushi-making session (our first time rolling sushi, it takes some practice) with several German friends.

We took mightily to bike-riding this summer and fall, given Switzerland's almost limitless trail options that never disappoint. We've ridden around scenic lakes, to preserved medieval villages (always with a sausage and beer stop) and I, the flatlander--with a particulary adept Dutch friend--have climbed hills that feel like mountains. The hills have become a masochistic addiction, as I took to routinely conquering one near home as training for a fall triathlon that depressingly never happened due to terrible cold, windy, rainy weather on event day. Oh well, I suppose I kept in shape.

Our cadre of ex-pat acquaintances here keeps growing slowly, mostly through friends-of-friends, and stands at maybe two dozen. The bad news is that given the group's average age of perhaps 30, I'm the old man. It's only bad because these people party in Zürich with the gusto I had at age 30 in Chicago, a pace that's significantly harder to maintain at a ripe 37. Not having a job has been my critical recovery source. We've hit several birthday parties, one including bowling (can you believe it?) in which the New World participants significantly outscored the Old World participants (like night and day); I keep blowing through my Thursday night curfews, somehow ending up at bankers' nightclubs (everyone making the scene in suits, lamenting the markets) or late-night divorcée piano lounges.

Never fear, Hobbes is still doing well, swimming weekly and still intent on exploring nearly every inch of Zürich. Steph and I also hit Paris again in late August, and then enjoyed two sets of visiting friends in September including a spectacular visit to Oktoberfest in Munich. Our weather was crummy all September, unseasonably cold and rainy, but picked back up in October. More entries and other news coming up! Pictures here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=2hd8fyj.4j3qg6sb&x=0&y=-n7q75z&localeid=en_US